Dice cup



All@ 30, i966 J. G. MaGPHERsoN 3,269,732

DCE CUP Filed NOV'. 29, 1965 /A/vE/v TOR Joy/v G /1/,4c PHERso/v ATToR/VYS United States Patent O 3,269,732 DICE CUP John G. MacPherson, Castro Valley, Calif. Western Tool & Supply Co., 4541 (lakport St., Oakland, Calif.) Filed Nov. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 326,786 7 Claims. (Cl. 273-145) This invention relates generally to amusement devices, and more particularly to a cup suitable for retaining a plurality of dice for use in various types of games.

Dice cups and similar devices are well known in games that require a plurality of dice to be mixed at random and then released onto a playing surface. One common use of a dice cup of this type relates to games played in public places wherein the patrons at a restaurant, bar, or the like, may participate in numerous types of dice games. Heretofore, the dice cup normally used in such public places has been made of a hard leather or similar material with the walls of the dice cup being of generally rigid construction. In using the dice cup it often is common for the player to knock the bottom of the cup sharply against the hard surface of a counter or table while shaking the dice and further to bang the upper edge of the cup harshly on the playing surface when turning over the cup to release the dice therefrom. The noise created by hard rapping of the dice cup on a playing surface often is bothersome and annoying to other patrons or persons in the public place, as a result of which many such places are reluctant or refuse to permit the use of a dice cup.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a dice cup of the class described that significantly reduces the amount of noise created in rapping the cup against a hard playing surface, as compared with conventional hard leather cups or the like, and which thus enables the use of a dice cup without undesirably annoying other persons in the near proximity of the player.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved dice cup suitable for construction with plastic materials, thus enabling the present device to be manufactured more readily and at a lower cost than conventional leather dice cups.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specication. It is to be under-stood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown partially in cross section.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the top rim member of the structure shown in FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the bottom member of the structure shown in FIGURE l.

There is shown in FIGURE 1 a dice cup 11 comprising a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cup including a tubular member 12 having a bottom wall 13 closing the lower end thereof. Flexible wall means such as the cup shaped member 14 define a chamber 16 subjacent the bottom wall 13. By means of the latter provision, a cushioning effect is achieved when the dice cup 11 is knocked downwardly against a hard playing surface, inasmuch as the ilexible resilient walls of the member 14 are deformable to absorb the force of the impact thereby substantially eliminating any appreciable noise from such impact. By having the chamber 16 made air tight, the

Patented August 30, 1966 ice air enclosed in the chamber is compressible to absorb even further force from the impact.

By means of an upper rim or lip member 17 secured adjacent the upper edge 18 of the tubular member 12, a similar cushioning effect is achieved with regard to impact of the upper edge of the dice cup against the playing surface when turned upside down to release the dice therefrom.

With respect to the detail of construction of the bottom member 14, reference is made to FIGURE 3 wherein the member 14 is shown as having a bottom wall 19 with upwardly extending side walls 21 -secured adjacent the periphery of the bottom wall 19. A plurality of axially extending circumferentially spaced ribs 22 are provided on the inner surface 23 of the side walls 21. As shown in FIGURE 1, the upper edges 24 of the ribs 22 are spaced below the upper edge 26 of the side walls 21. Thus with the member 14 secured to the tubular member 12, the upper edges 24 of the ribs 22 abut against the lower surface of the tubular member bottom wall 13, and the upper portions of the side walls 21 are disposed in concentrically `surrounding relation to the tubular member 12. Preferably, the members 12 and 14 are formed of a rubber or plastic material and are secured rigidly together by a layer of adhesive interposed between their concentrically engaged wall surfaces. The bottom and side walls of vthe cup shaped member 14 are made with sufficient resiliency to return to the shape as shown in the drawings but must be suitably flexible to provide the cushioning effect described hereinabove. In this regard, it is noted that the ribs 22 are not provided to function as a form of structural reinforcement, but rather enable the member 14 to be positioned quickly and positively in the manufacture of the instant dice cup. The ribs 22 preferably are molded integrally with the member 14, and tend very little to inhibit the flexible deformation of such member.

Concerning the upper lip member 17, the preferred embodiment of the invention includes an upper annular portion 27 with a pair of spaced downwardly extending side wall portions 28 and 29. As shown in FIGURE l, the member 17 is mounted with the upper portion 27 spaced above the upper edge 18 of the tubular member 12, with the `side wall portions 28 and 29 being respectively disposed in concentric relation to the inner and outerwall surfaces of the upper end of the tubular member 12. In this manner, an annular chamber 31 is dened intermediate the tubular member 12 and lip member 17 whereby a cushioning noise reducing effect is provided when the lip member 17 is rapped against a hard playing surface. To assist in the proper positioning of the member 17 on the tubular member 12 in manufacturing the instant dice cup, a plurality of rib members 32 are disposed circumferentially around the member 17 intermediate the side wall portions 28 and 29, serving to space the upper portion 27 from the edge 18.

As in most conventional dice cups, a sleeve member 33 is disposed concentrically within the tubular member 12 and has a corrugated inner surface 34, the latter serving to assure random movement of the dice as they are released from the cup. Als a part of the present invention, a downwardly extending portion 36 is provided on the inner side portion 29 of the lip member 17 to overlie and engage the upper edge portion of the lsleeve member 33. Preferably, the portion 36 has a complementary corrugation as shown to securely retain the sleeve member 34 within the tubular member 12.

As a further feature of the present invention with regard to the objective of reducing noise in the use of a dice cup, a layer of sponge rubber material 37 or the like is disposed on top of the bottom wall 13 and secured in such position by the sleeve member 33 which overlies the layer 37. The provision of such cushioning layer on the bottom of the cup eliminates the normal hollow resonating noise that occurs when a plurality of dice are dropped into a Iconventional hard walled dice cup.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the present invention provides a novel and improved dice cup that is capable -of simple and inexpensive manufacture, and which improves significantly over prior similar devices in the notable reduction of objectionable noise in the use of such devices.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the type des-cribed comprising a tubular member having a bottom wall closing one end thereof, flexible resilient wall means dening a closed chamber subjacent said bottom Wall, said chamber being resiliently deformable in response to force applied to the exterior of said wall means, a generally annular shaped lip member formed of exible resilient material overlying the upper edge of said tubular member and secured thereto to deiine an annular chamber disposed intermediate said lip member and the upper edge of said tubular member.

2. A device as described in claim 1 wherein said means includes a cup shaped member formed of iiexible resilient material and having a second bottom wall spaced subjacent said first bottom wall, said cup shaped member having side walls extending between said second bottom wall and said tubular member and sealingly secured to the latter to form an air tight chamber defined by said cup shaped member and said iirst bottom wall.

3. A device as described in claim 2 further defined by a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extending ribs being provided on the interior side wall surface of said cup shaped member, said ribs having their upper ends spaced axially below the upper edge of said cup shaped member side walls and being disposed in abutment with the lower surface of said first bottom wall, said cup shaped member having the upper portion of its side walls being disposed in concentric surrounding relation with said tubular member and rigidly secured thereto.

4. A device as described in claim 1 wherein said lip member includes an upper portion spaced above said upper edge and a pair of downwardly extending spaced side Wall portions respectively overlying the inner and outer upper side wall surfaces of said tubular member, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs disposed intermediate said pair of side wall portions and abutting the upper edge of said tubular member, said downwardly extending side wall portions being secured to said tubular member.

5. A device as described in claim 4 further defined by a cylindrical sleeve disposed concentrically inside said tubular member and having a corrugated inner surface, the inner one of said lip member side wall portions having a downwardly extended portion engaging said corrugations of said sleeve member for securely retaining the latter within said tubular member.

6. A device of the type described comprising, in combination, a tubular member formed of plastic material, a iirst bottom Wall secured adjacent one end of said tubular member in closing relation thereto, a cup shaped member secured to said end of said tubular member with portions of the side walls of said cup shaped member concentrically surrounding said tubular member, said cup shaped member having a second bottom wall spaced from said first bottom wall, a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs being provided on the inner wall of said cup shaped member disposed in abutting relation with said rst bottom wall, said cup shaped member being made of flexible resilient plastic material and being secured to said tubular member in sealed relationship therewith to detine an air tight chamber intermediate said tubular member and cup shaped member, a layer of flexible cushioning material disposed in overlying relation to said bottom wall, a sleeve member disposed concentrically within said tubular member and overlying said cushioning layer to retain the latter within said tubular member, said sleeve member having an inner corrugated surface, an upper lip mounted adjacent the other end of said tubular member, said lip member being formed of flexible resilient plastic material and having an upper annular portion spaced from the upper edge of said tubular member, said lip member having a pair of spaced side wall portions respectively overlying and engaging the inner and outer wall surfaces of said tubular member, said lip member and tubular member defining a generally annular chamber therebetween, a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs disposed intermediate said lip member side portions and in abutting relation with said edge of said tubular member, and a downwardly extending portion provided on the inner one of said lip member side portions disposed in overlapping engaging relation with said corrugated sleeve member for retaining the latter within said tubular member.

7. A dice cup comprising a tubular member having a bottom wall and an open top, a cup member including a tubular side wall and a bottom wall and formed of flexible resilient material, said tubular member having an axial extent substantially in excess of that of said cup member, the upper end portion of said cup member telescopically receiving and snugly engaging the lower end portion of said tubular member with the respective bottom walls `being axially spaced to provide a closed chamber, means for securing said members together with the upper edge of the side Wall of said cup member being adjacent the bottom wall of said tubular member and substantially spaced from the upper edge of said tubular member whereby the user may grasp the tubular member during handling of the dice cup, a generally annular shaped lip member formed of flexible resilient material overlying the upper end portion of said tubular member and secured thereto to dene an annular chamber disposed intermediate said lip member and said upper end portion of the tubular member, said lip member including an upper portion and a pair of downwardly extending spaced side wall portions respectively overlying the inner and outer upper side Wall surfaces of said tubular member, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs disposed intermediate said pair of side Wall portions and abutting the upper edge of said tubular member, and said downwardly extending side wall portions being secured to said tubular member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,103,366 7/1914 Markens 273-145.1 1,629,142 5/1927 Bonell 273-145.1 2,060,463 11/1936 Gessler 273-1451 2,628,840 2/ 1953 Laube 220-69 X 2,808,090 10/ 1957 Casalino 150-.5

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED COMPRISING A TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING A BOTTOM WALL CLOSING ONE END THEREOF, FLEXIBLE RESILIENT WALL MEANS DEFINING A CLOSED CHAMBER SUBJACENT SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID CHAMBER BEING RESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE IN RESPONSE TO FORCE APPLIED TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID WALL MEANS, A GENERALLY ANNULAR SHAPED LIP MEMBER FORMED OF FLEXIBLE RESILIENT MATERIAL OVERLYING THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND SECURED THERETO TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR CHAMBER DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE SAID LIP MEMBER AND THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER. 